Our Story

Once upon a time there was cocoa...

Cocoa comes from Central and South America. Chocolate was introduced to Europe by the Spaniards after its discovery in 1519 along the coasts of Tabasco by Spanish explorer Hernan Cortes. A century later, in the reign of Louis XIII, the whole of France began enjoying this exotic food.

Today, the cultivation of cocoa is centred in the regions of the Equator: in Brazil, Ecuador, Ghana, the Ivory Coast and Indonesia. Temperatures in these regions are ideal for cocoa plantations.

There are 3 major varieties of the cocoa tree: the Criollo, Amazonian Forastero and Trinitario.

The finest and most aromatic cocoa comes from the Criollo tree, which grows to an average height of 5 to 7 metres and has a lifespan of 25 to 30 years. One tree produces an average of 150 pods per year. They are harvested twice a year, roughly in March and September.

Once extracted from the pods, the beans are left to ferment for 2 to 8 days before being dried in the sun. They will be worked several times to obtain the quality you will find at Monbana.

To discover more about the various stages in cocoa bean processing, go to www.monbana.com. Monbana started out as a bean roaster, but it now has its own plantations and selects only the best varieties of cocoa for you, derived mainly from the Ivory Coast and South America.